Diablo III

Figured I'd start a new thread about Diablo 3. Been playing it for two days straight and I am currently at level 45 with my Demon Hunter. Act 3 in Nightmare.

It seems pretty well balanced when it comes to kill/death ratio. The mobs are way cooler than in Diablo 2 and they can get real nasty. An elite squad with two really annoying abilities like trapping you in a wall and then breathing fire in your face makes the game quite challenging at times.

I do have to complain a bit though. I'm still walking around with 4 items that has a level requirement of twentyish, so items are a bit too random. That randomness also applies to crafting which is insanely expensive.

I'd like to see more socketing possibilities. The stats given by gems are way too restricted, only socketing topazes in helms can give you magic find and that bugs me. The runes back in Diablo 2 were one of the things that made the game great.

The bosses have also been a bit too easy so far. Might have to do with the fact that I play with a friend who's got a Monk and he's basicly a tank.

Oh one last rant. The only item colour I've seen so far has been blue or yellow. A green every now and then or epic (no idea if they exist tbh) to make you crave them more would be nice. My friend found a recipe for Cain's armor set but that's it.

Overall it's quite a good game. I like the fact that gold plays a much bigger part this time and I'll most likely play all the way to 60.

What do you guys think of the game so far?

AAAHHHHH So broke I can't wait to get It though sounds so fun

Compared to D2, I thought this game was mediocre at best. I played with the Witch Doctor, which was supposedly the replacement for the necromancer, which had been my favorite. I was bored out of my mind and quit after a couple hours of playing. I restarted as the Barbarian and things got more fun, but it was still a lackluster experience.

Here's a list of the problems I had with the game:

-Terrible, terrible writing. The cinematics look great, but the story is not at all compelling. It has that "look at me I'm so epic feel" that seems to have become a standard for Blizzard games.

-You don't simply use your weapon in this game. You have other abilities you use, of which equipping the weapon modified the strength, speed, etc. of those abilities. For example, the monk just carries a weapon on his back, which then modifies his punching strength. For me, this ruins the fun of finding a better weapon.

-The graphics are cartoony and in no way capture the dark, gritty, and oddly real feel of Diablo 2.

-Customization is extremely limited. You can't control where your skills go nor can you control where your stat points go every time you gain a level. This means any two players of the same class and the same level will have exactly the same abilities if they don' have any armor. This seems to be a move by Blizzard to make people completely reliant off of getting better equipment so that you will use the auction house and thus they will make more money.

-Potions have been drastically changed so that you can only use one, then you've got to wait for the potion to 'recharge' until you can use another. I can't tell you how frustrating it felt to have to rely on those health globes that monsters drop in order to stay alive.

-You can teleport back to town anytime you want, for no cost other than a three second charge period.

-Arbitrary death penalty. When you die, your equipment gets damaged by 10%. Not to mention there are checkpoints. This means you can die a dozen times revive at the check point which is right over there, and get right back into the game. This kills that fun kind of tension IMO.

-Apparently you can't duel in the game world anymore. In D2, anybody running around could kill anyone else if they wanted, but not so in Diablo 3.

-Magical equipment is way too abundant. Why do they even have non-magical equpment?

-The limited inventory space made items seem more valuable in Diablo 2. Now not only is there more space in the stash, the items are much smaller and are stackable. Again, it seems this was a move made to encourage people to use the auction house.

-Bosses are way too easy. I smacked the shit out of Azmodan the first time and got Diablo after my second try. Compare this with Diablo 2 on the same difficulty, where I died a dozen or two times with my summon necromancer before killing the boss.

-The world doesn't feel as open.


All of that said, Blizzard seems to be trying to appeal to the masses with this one. It ain't the same game if you ask me. Now, some people are having the time of their lives. Maybe you will too. But I sure didn't. In fact, I went to Bnet and got a refund.

Yeah I had alot of the same problems, but now I'm used to it and Like it, besides it would be boring to me if it were too much like Diablo 2 after all these years.

I also find it funny that people call you Hero and you are a rare Nephilim that used to be plenty full when man was new, but have been forgotten over the ages, which seems to have become a cliche in Video games nowadays.

Only had it two days and Haven't died at all with my Witch Doctor, which I think really is a replacement for the Necromancer, due to the Summonable things, I think the only thing that I would have kept from Diablo 2 were the Skill trees and how you could/had to stack on certain skills. It made it so you could play the same character twice and Have a different experience from changing your style. Now you can just randomly change how you have been playing, with only a short recharge time as penalty.

Sure magical Items are plentiful but Finding a Rare Item, Especially for your class seems a bit Rarer to me than Diablo 2, I also like how they made it so you can't just go to the same place over and over to get something Rare.

Auction House is way over-rated in my personal opinion, I never buy anything because of how over priced they are, and the things I sell, I sell way cheaper then the exact same thing with similar Stats, and Hardly any of it gets bid on.

Oh yeah and I just found out that after a certain amount of time the things you put up for sale on auction house, will be gone for good if no one bids on it, so if no one sees what you have and wants it in a certain amount of time then that Item doesn't even go back to you,

Zera, you have to go to the completed tab of the auction house where you will find a section with a list of things like gold and some items. Click on the items and select "send to stash".

I had a bit of fun with the Barbarian, but it got old pretty fast. To be honest, part of me wants to get back on and play some more even though I know I'll end up being frustrated again. I really, really want to like this game, but I know that I cannot.

I did I understood this I have sold a few things before and its there saying unsold but it wasn't popping up saying Send to stash, that was this morning though I just got on tonight and it finally let me take it. I just now beat it on normal, act IV was way to short and easy, Still Haven't died once, I think I'm gonna make a hardcore character, but I might wait till I get to 60 first, but I'm only on 32 now.

Black Eagle, I think I agree with some of these things, and I've actually felt curious about trying Diablo 2 to compare, but from what I've heard, most of this is true, but I disagree with some of it.
Also related;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8CBbeSAjVo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

-Customization is extremely limited. You can't control where your skills go nor can you control where your stat points go every time you gain a level. This means any two players of the same class and the same level will have exactly the same abilities if they don' have any armor. This seems to be a move by Blizzard to make people completely reliant off of getting better equipment so that you will use the auction house and thus they will make more money.

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You get more control over your skill setup if you turn on Elective Mode in options.
And I'm not sure what you mean they will have the same abilities? Blizzard have said their goal was to produce many viable builds, even if there is an "optimal build". There's many abilities to choose from, and not everyone wants to use the same, so while two players with no armor would have the same stats, they wouldn't necessarily have the same skills.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

-Potions have been drastically changed so that you can only use one, then you've got to wait for the potion to 'recharge' until you can use another. I can't tell you how frustrating it felt to have to rely on those health globes that monsters drop in order to stay alive.

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I think this is a good thing though. I can't build my argument on anything other than what I've seen, but it looks like some Diablo 2 fights turn into not much at all because you're just attacking constantly while spamming potions. This feature keeps you on your feet and potions become an emergency button rather than something to rely on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

-You can teleport back to town anytime you want, for no cost other than a three second charge period.

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I thought this was possible in Diablo 2 as well?
Anyways, I really like this feature. It makes the game seem like it's really about the gameplay. I don't see any big reason why you shouldn't be allowed to come back to town quickly and go back. It makes the experience really smooth and you stay in the action.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

-Arbitrary death penalty. When you die, your equipment gets damaged by 10%. Not to mention there are checkpoints. This means you can die a dozen times revive at the check point which is right over there, and get right back into the game. This kills that fun kind of tension IMO.

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What other death penalty is possible? Don't you think checkpoints are a good thing? They exist in practically every game?
In fact, the way I see it, Diablo 3 is one of the few games where check points and infinite revivals are actually optional. You can play a Hardcore character, which gets rid of all that. Permadeath. All the tension.

Speaking of which, I'm playing a Hardcore Wizard, level 15 at the moment, and even though I'm so early on in the game, the permadeath aspect makes you so much more attached to the character.
Just yesterday, I was linked to a live stream of Athene playing Hardcore Nightmare Act III with a bunch of people. In the heat of battle, one of the characters, a Monk, just suddenly died. It was pretty dramatic, and hilarious at the same time, they had a little ceremony for the now lost player.

Hardcore is awesome. But I'll be wary about it until Blizzard gets the servers under control for good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Maeni

Black Eagle, I think I agree with some of these things, and I've actually felt curious about trying Diablo 2 to compare, but from what I've heard, most of this is true, but I disagree with some of it.
Also related;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8CBbeSAjVo



You get more control over your skill setup if you turn on Elective Mode in options.
And I'm not sure what you mean they will have the same abilities? Blizzard have said their goal was to produce many viable builds, even if there is an "optimal build". There's many abilities to choose from, and not everyone wants to use the same, so while two players with no armor would have the same stats, they wouldn't necessarily have the same skills.

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I'm pretty sure he meant that they have access to all the same skills, because you can switch them anytime, with only a small cool down wait.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Maeni

I think this is a good thing though. I can't build my argument on anything other than what I've seen, but it looks like some Diablo 2 fights turn into not much at all because you're just attacking constantly while spamming potions. This feature keeps you on your feet and potions become an emergency button rather than something to rely on.


I thought this was possible in Diablo 2 as well?
Anyways, I really like this feature. It makes the game seem like it's really about the gameplay. I don't see any big reason why you shouldn't be allowed to come back to town quickly and go back. It makes the experience really smooth and you stay in the action.

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In Diablo 2 You had to carry Scrolls of Town Portal and Scrolls of Identify, You could get a book, but I think it only holds a certain amount, I really don't remember anymore, but they did take up inventory space and cost money if you couldn't find any so it was a bigger challenge.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Maeni

What other death penalty is possible? Don't you think checkpoints are a good thing? They exist in practically every game?
In fact, the way I see it, Diablo 3 is one of the few games where check points and infinite revivals are actually optional. You can play a Hardcore character, which gets rid of all that. Permadeath. All the tension.

Speaking of which, I'm playing a Hardcore Wizard, level 15 at the moment, and even though I'm so early on in the game, the permadeath aspect makes you so much more attached to the character.
Just yesterday, I was linked to a live stream of Athene playing Hardcore Nightmare Act III with a bunch of people. In the heat of battle, one of the characters, a Monk, just suddenly died. It was pretty dramatic, and hilarious at the same time, they had a little ceremony for the now lost player.

Hardcore is awesome. But I'll be wary about it until Blizzard gets the servers under control for good.

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One thing I Don't like is Normal is so easy, I beat it with only one life, Something I could have never done in Diablo 2, the very first time I played it. I also here rumours that the later levels are way to hard, like your video says.

Completely, resoundingly underwhelming.

I'll probably sell my copy with the strategy guide and put the money towards something more useful.

From the hour that I've played of it, I loved it. It's frustrating that I've been so busy recently so I haven't had much chance to play, can't wait to jump into it more though.